After Ousting President, Lincoln University Now Gives a New Five-Year Contract to Brenda Allen

On July 10, the board of trustees of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania voted 11 to 10 not to renew the contract of President Brenda Allen. President Allen sued. Only July 24, William P. Mahon, a judge on the Chester County court, ruled that President Allen must be reinstated to her post. The board would be allowed to revisit the issue at its August 6 meeting but five new members must be given the opportunity to participate in the decision. Also, two board members who resigned after objecting to the board’s decision not to negotiate a new contract with President Allen would have to be reinstated. At the August 6 meeting, the board of trustees voted unanimously to negotiate a new contract for President Allen. Now The board of trustees now has approved a new five-year contract for president Brenda Allen.

Board Chair Theresa R. Braswell, stated that “the board is eager to work with Dr. Allen to advance the legacy and support the mission of the nation’s first degree-granting historically Black college and university. The board is pleased with the direction of Lincoln and credits the recent successes of the university to Dr. Allen’s leadership and the team she has assembled. In the past three years, with her vision, leadership, and tireless devotion, the Lincoln community has experienced renewed energy.”

“I am confident that the administration and board are more aligned in our vision for the future because of discussions during the past three months,” said President Allen. “By working together with the board, we will lead this institution through this unprecedented time and emerge more resilient and ready for the next 167 years. We have developed a clear strategy to reimagine the legacy of Lincoln. Now let’s keep moving forward.”

Before being named the fourteenth president of Lincoln University in 2017, Dr. Allen was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. She is the former associate provost for institutional diversity at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Earlier, she taught at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

A graduate of Lincoln University, Dr. Allen holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Howard University in Washington, D.C.